The year 2009 began on a gloomy note around the globe but as it comes to a close, some property markets have begun showing signs of recovery from the global economic turmoil although some property experts remain cautiously optimistic on the outlook for 2010.

When comfort or decadence no longer excites and enthralls, it is time for travellers to look for a unique and unforgettable experience

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian residential property is presently at its most affordable, said Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

Affordability has never been better as banks continue to support the market with very attractive mortgage rates to as low as BLR -2.4% in some cases.

KUALA LUMPUR: Giant, a hypermarket retailer under GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, is set to open a store in Sibu, by the middle of next year.

The ground breaking for the RM12 million hypermarket project will be held Saturday Jan 23 and is expected to be ready in June next year. It will be the first Giant hypermarket in Sarawak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ho Hup Construction Co.

XIAN (China): Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd has signed on Golden Harvest Cinema as its first anchor tenant for VivoCity Xian, its first retail mall in China.

Mapletree’s chief executive officer Hiew Yoon Khong said Golden Harvest Cinema would be taking up a total of 2,317 sq metres of space, which will constitute close to 6 % of the total lettable space.

KUALA LUMPUR: Global average occupancy costs per workstation saw a 4% decline in 2009, and the overall global average costs are projected to show moderate annual growth of 1.7% till 2013, said a DTZ Research report entitled Global Occupancy Costs – Offices 2010.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government's electronic procurement system, ePerolehan's module on eBidding, has bagged the eINDIA 2009 Award for Government-to-business (G2B) Initiative.

The eBidding module has helped reduce government expenditure by between 20 and 40 per cent of the allocated budget, said system developer, Commerce Dot Com Sdn Bhd in a statement on Friday Jan 22.

BAGHDAD: The city of Baghdad asked foreign companies on Thursday Jan 21 to sign up for a project to design and build 75,000 apartments, the first phase of a US$10 billion plan to rebuild the Iraqi capital's sprawling Sadr City slum.